Storm Éowyn: Disruption into weekend with trains and ferries on hold amid more weather warnings

Series of alerts for snow, ice and more strong winds

Severe weather warnings will continue in Scotland until at least Sunday after the red warning Storm Éowyn caused widespread damage to buildings, felled trees and brought much of the country’s transport to a halt.

A series of further weather alerts for strong winds, snow and ice have been issued by the Met Office, while travel disruption and power cuts are expected to continue into Saturday.

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Waves crash into the seafront at Largs on FridayWaves crash into the seafront at Largs on Friday
Waves crash into the seafront at Largs on Friday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

ScotRail told passengers not to expect any trains to run until at least Saturday afternoon to enable the network to be checked for damage and debris after it was shut down on Friday.

Network Rail said “extensive damage” had been caused by trees falling on tracks and overhead power lines in Ayrshire, the west coast main line between Glasgow and Carlisle, where winds reached 100mph, and across the Central Belt.

CalMac said sailings across its west coast network which were all cancelled on Friday would remain suspended until at least 10am on Saturday for safety checks for damage to ferries and ports.

An amber wind warning will remain in force for most of Scotland north of the Central Belt until 6am on Saturday for gusts up to 80mph, and 90mph or more on coasts and hills.

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A lesser yellow warning for snow and ice will be in place between midnight and 11am, with up to 10cm of snow in some areas above 200m.

A separate yellow warning for wind until 3pm could see gusts of up to 60mph inland, up to 70mph on coasts and hills, and 80mph in Orkney and Shetland.

A further yellow warning for wind will follow between 8am and 3pm on Sunday for gusts up to 60mph and up to 70mph on coasts and hills across the south west edge of Scotland.

First Minister John Swinney said: “Severe weather warnings for wind, snow and ice remain in place across much of the country on Friday night and into Saturday morning. A high level of vigilance is still required.”

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Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland said: “I would urge the public to avoid travelling in areas affected by the amber warning and consider delaying your travel until conditions improve.

“We don’t ask you to do this lightly and we make this ask with public safety at the forefront of decision-making.

“Roads are likely to be affected by debris for some time to come and motorists should drive with caution when it is safe to return to the roads.”

Met Office chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “The influence of Storm Éowyn on the UK’s weather will diminish as it moves further north and east on Saturday morning, but there’s little respite in the conditions for some with the next area of low pressure arriving from the south west on Sunday.

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“While Sunday’s system doesn’t have the same strength as Éowyn, it will hamper some recovery efforts and bring further wind and rain, with the possibility of some flooding in places.

“With this rain falling on saturated ground in many places, there’s a chance of flooding for some, with winds an accompanying hazard with the system.”

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “With Storm Éowyn set to leave heavy rain and wind in its wake, the forecast indicates ongoing disruption for drivers in the west of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“Fallen trees and debris, alongside flooding continuing through the weekend, will make journeys longer than usual and in the worst-case scenario, obstruct or block routes altogether.

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“Motorists should still take great care and allow more time for their journeys or delay them until the worst weather has passed.

“The increased likelihood of standing water also means there’s a risk of aquaplaning, where a thin layer of water causes the vehicle’s tyres to lose contact with the road when driving at faster speeds.”

Five flood warnings were issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency including for the Clyde coast between Ayr and Troon, and in Perthshire.

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The clear-up across Scotland will include to multiple roofs wrenched from buildings, while one end of a Co-op store in Denny collapsed.

Power cuts affected more than 100,000 homes across Scotland. Back-up generators failed to work for a time when Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert lost its electricity supply.

Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said nearly 49,000 of its customers remained without power on Friday night and it would take several days to fully restore supplies. A further 30,000 have been reconnected.

ScottishPower Energy Networks said some 25,000 of its customers had been affected and reported “horrendous” conditions.

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Areas losing power included Tighnabruaich in Argyll, the Isle of Mull, Fort William and Spean Bridge.

On the east coast, power was lost to some homes in St Cyrus, Johnshaven and Gourdon, along with in Blairgowrie, near Auchterarder and on the outskirts of Dundee.

Andy Smith, director of customer operations for the north of Scotland for SSEN, said: “It’s been a day of sustained storm force winds, the like of which we’ve not seen here for many years.

“Storm Éowyn has significantly affected the electricity network across Scotland and some major repairs will need to be carried out.”

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More than 2,200 schools were closed - 92 per cent of the total.

On the roads, despite official warnings for people not to travel during the red warning, at least 11 lorries were blown over and several cars hit fallen trees, with one impaling a van responding to an emergency callout in Glasgow, injuring the driver.

Another driver was seriously injured following a single-vehicle collision at Mauchline in East Ayrshire.

Mr Swinney said there were “still too many lorries on the road”, which Police Scotland described as “concerning”.

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Major bridges closed included the Tay Road Bridge, where a 102mph gust was recorded, the Clackmannanshire Bridge over the Forth and the Erskine Bridge over the Clyde.

Road closures included the entire 96-mille A75 between Stranraer and Gretna following several incidents.

The highest official gust inland of 100mph was recorded by the Met Office at Drumalbin, south of Lanark.

In Ireland, a record-breaking wind speed of 114mph was measured at Mace Head in County Galway, Met Eireann said.

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Edinburgh Airport - Scotland’s busiest - saw some 60 per cent of its flights cancelled, with only half the normal 28,000 passengers able to travel.

A Ryanair flight from Stansted circled the airport before being forced to return to London, landing nearly three hours after taking off.

A total of 1,124 flights were cancelled - one in five of those scheduled to operate in the UK and Ireland - with Dublin, Edinburgh, Heathrow and Glasgow airports worst affected, according to aviation analysts Cirium.

Police in Ireland said a man had died after a tree fell on his car in Raphoe, County Donegal.

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